Oil and Water
by ZaraShade
Summary: This is a story about Serafina and Coram when they were young and in love. I hope u like it. SerafinaxCoram. R&R.
1. Chapter 1

Oil and Water

The sky was still. The harsh icy cold air was ready to stab at bare flesh. Its color was that of a weak and diluted blue, even the clouds dared not show themselves. The only sound for miles, seemingly, was the gentle trickle of a freezing cold stream. A single boat drifted silently down the stream, letting the water carry it back to town. It was a gyptian boat, and only bore one passenger today. His name was Coram, and he owned the brightly painted vessel.

He stood still, as he were frozen himself, upon his deck. It was almost impossible to tell it was a human at all, for he was heavily rugged up in furs. His daemon, Sophonax, was a brilliantly colored large cat. Her fur was autumn colored and when light shone upon it, it seemed to light up in an array of gold-brown-red-orange-yellow. She paced the deck, he beautiful fur almost glowing, and seemed oddly restless today. Coram could sense his daemon's agitation: something felt wrong.

He narrowed his dark eyes and scanned the horizon. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, it was as barren and inhospitable as always. He shrugged, but his daemon didn't stop her relentless pacing. He shivered from the cold and lit a lamp to keep warm. The little flame, quite similar in color to his own daemon's fur, danced in the light breeze not emitting much heat, but warmed him inside.

He watched the flame for a time. His daemon, eventually, settled near his feet, but her eyes were always alert …as were his. Coram didn't know what was wrong, but he trusted his daemon and her senses completely, she had never led him astray yet.

He saw a black dot in the sky. He discarded the thought; his eyes must be playing tricks on him in the cold. But the dot seemed to be growing larger. It seemed to be coming this way.

Coram shifted slightly, uncomfortable. In a few minutes the dot had grown ominously large, and seemed to be increasing speed. He knew he was just being paranoid, but he couldn't help it, he picked up his crossbow and held it firm in his gloved hands.

He squinted hard. He was sure of it: the dot was a person. He had heard rumors of witches flying in the northern skies, but he had assumed people were trying to scare him. If he wasn't mistaken, the witch was being pursued. Something that looked like a large flame seemed to be behind her in the sky.

The witch grew closer, and so did the flame-like creature. With a start, he realized the flame-creature was a large bird with feathers of the most stunning flame color. They were close now. The witch was almost over his boat. She seemed to be slowing down. Suddenly, the giant flame-bird seemed to have caught up with the witch. It looked as though it was engulfing her. She fell from the sky. She was falling directly above his boat. Coram ran to the spot he thought she would land. He caught her in his strong arms, she was surprisingly light. He had no time to take in her appearance though, for the flame-bird was diving.

He was hesitant; he didn't want to shoot it. It was such a beautiful creature, after all. But then he thought of how it had tried to engulf the witch, it wouldn't give up until it killed her: he had no choice. He aimed his crossbow, and fired. His arrow hit true, the flame-bird fell instantly and landed with a splash behind them in the river. Coram sighed.

Then he remembered the witch, and ran to her. She lay, unconscious, upon the cold hard wooden deck. He carried her into his own room and laid her slim form upon his bunk. Only then did he get the chance to look at her properly. She was very beautiful, with long dark hair and dark eyes. Her skin was pale; he noticed with a start, that she was also only wearing a light dress of black. She should have died from cold by now. Sophonax mewed in distress and Coram suddenly felt queasy, for this woman had no daemon. He stood up and backed away. Had he let a child of the devil into his cabin?

The woman stirred and he jumped in fright. Her eyes flitted open, her hand brushed her face. She mumbled something in a soft voice. Coram held up his crossbow.

"Stay back, demon," he said firmly, but couldn't hide the fear he was feeling.

"I am no demon," the woman said sitting up, "I am a witch."

"A witch," he mumbled, "But where is your daemon?" He was still uneasy.

"Witches have the ability to separate themselves from their daemons, long distances. I am very grateful to you, sir. I owe you my life." Coram relaxed and put down his crossbow. He pulled up a chair and sat near her, not too close though, and he made sure his crossbow was accessible.

"Why was that bird chasing you?" he asked, for he had a lingering feeling it had been another witched daemon pursuing her.

"I angered the wrong person, evidently. But that does not matter now." She said softly, "Once again, I am very grateful. If you ever require my services, or those of my clan, I would gladly give them to you."

"Thank-you, ma'am, but there is only one thing I would ask," Coram said humbly, he was captivated by the graceful witch.

"Name it and I shall do everything I can to make sure you receive it," the witch said.

"I would only wish to know your name," he replied, embarrassed. She smiled knowingly, but not unkindly.

"I am Serafina Pekkala, from Lake Enara. What may I call you?" she said in her sweet voice.

"I am Coram, a gyptian." Coram replied, "Do witches not feel cold?"

"No. We do feel the cold, but we choose to ignore it. You see, Coram," he smiled at the use of his name, "If we wrapped up to shield the cold we would not allow ourselves to feel the other wonders of the open skies."

"It is strange to me," he said, "Witches are so different." They sat silently for a minute or so.

"I have seen many men be born and die in my life," Serafina said sadly.

"How old are you? You say you have seen men be born and die." Coram asked curiously.

"I am over two-hundred. But, I am still young among my clan members. We have a witch well over nine-hundred, she will be visited by Yambe-Akka soon, I think."

Coram couldn't help but gape in shock and wonder. Serafina looked so young, but to be over two hundred! It was more than his entire life-time would be. Witched truly were a mystery to him. A fluttering of wings interrupted his thoughts; a large grey goose had rapidly entered the cabin. It flew to Serafina and she stroked him. Coram assumed it was her daemon. The witch smiled at him and he returned the gesture.

The sun-set unnoticed by the two passengers on the gyptian boat. They talked well into the night. They talked about the witches, about the Gyptians – about everything. The stars twinkled even more brightly tonight, for love was blooming.


	2. Chapter 2

Coram rushed back to the port. It had been a week since he had saved Serafina Pekkala. In his hand he clutched a letter from his own home. He had been called back to the Gyptians for a roping. An important roping or he would not be required to attend. He was eager to go home and to see his gyptian friends and family again. But it pained him to have to part from Serafina. She belonging in the North, it was her home.

Serafina smiled as she saw him approaching. His face was as cold as stone; inside his mind was a turmoil of emotions. She sensed his distress and tried to sooth him.

"What is it, Coram? What is troubling you?" She said in her light sing-song voice.

"I have to leave," he said desolately as he reached her. Her smile vanished instantly.

"I … I knew this would happen eventually," she said hoarsely, she seemed to be struggled with something, "when must you leave?"

"Tomorrow," he replied, his voice emotionless. But he felt such strong emotions that it pained him greatly.

They looked at each other, gazing into the others eyes. Serafina understood more fully what Coram was feeling, she was older and wiser. But still, she felt pain. He kissed her on her red lips.

_The next day…_

The horn blared. Coram stood on the deck of the boat he had passage on to England. From there he would use his boat (safely stored in cargo) to get to the roping. Serafina stood on the busy port. People were rushing around her, but she felt alone. Her daemon, Kaisa, hooted pitifully. Sophonax, Coram's daemon, silently watched as Kaisa seemed to grow smaller in the distance. Coram thought his heart was about to explode. He felt so much pain he had never though possible. The port was barely visible.

Serafina struggled to think, to clear her mind. She let out a little cry of anger and jumped on her pine-branch, darting in the sky. She sped towards Coram's boat. He saw her and his heart was filled with such a pure joy. Serafina's feet found the deck and she rushed into Coram's arms. He was filled with happiness that seemed to flow through very vein in his body. Serafina cried tears of joy and sorrow. One day, she knew, she would have to see him die. She was a witch; she could not change her nature.

Coram and Serafina had married the next month after the roping. They were happy. But a dark cloud seemed to always linger in the back of Serafina's mind. The knowledge that one day she would leave him. But she was filled with bliss to be his wife and a gyptian boat woman … for now.

Three years later Serafina and Coram had a baby boy. Coram rejoiced in his role as a father, tenderly caring for his son.

Almost two years later, a disease spread over the entire nation. Serafina watched in misery as her baby boy was taken by the illness. He died a week later. Serafina cried bitter tears of anguish, it broke Coram's heart.

News reached her of her own mother's death. Serafina had been dreading this moment; it meant she was now the clan queen. It broke her heart to tell Coram she must return to the north. His heart felt as if it could be torn no more. He had lost his son and his wife. Their goodbye was tearful, years later he could still feel her soft lips upon his own. Serafina's own heart seemed to be breaking as she flew away from her lover. She knew she would never see him again.

She yelled into the cold night-sky. She yelled and wept as she flew back to the north. Her heart was torn. She had wished for nothing more than to raise his children and be a gyptian boat mother. But she could no more change her nature than a fish could grow wings and fly.

They had both known it could not last forever, deep down. A gyptian and a witch, it was like trying to mix oil and water.


End file.
